


Sibling 101

by fenellaevangela



Category: The Tick (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen, Knitting, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21843082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fenellaevangela/pseuds/fenellaevangela
Summary: Arthur and Dot are different in many ways, but they're also the same.
Relationships: Arthur Everest & The Tick (The Tick), Dorothy "Dot" Everest & Overkill
Comments: 7
Kudos: 18
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Sibling 101

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SweetPollyOliver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetPollyOliver/gifts).



Crime never sleeps. That's a cliche, but it's also true, and Dot knew that if she didn't set some real boundaries with herself then her vigilante work could get out of hand. She wanted to help people, and letting herself burn out wasn't going to help anyone, particularly herself. So she made sure to put aside time to keep up with hobbies that had nothing to do with crimefighting at all. Just her needles, a fresh skein of yarn, and a podcast that definitely _wasn't_ about true crime. She had always found knitting comforting, and it wasn't long before she settled into a steady rhythm. 

“Is that what I think it is?”

The question was going to make her jump, which was embarrassing; she didn't like being caught off guard. The knitting needles were going to twist in her hands before she dropped them - one would snap in two – and then she was going to grab the lamp on the side table and . . .

Oh.

Throw it at Overkill's head.

Dot came back to the present with a fond, if frustrated, eyeroll. She managed to turn around just as her impromptu guest was approaching the couch.

“C'mon dude! We've talked about this.”

Overkill froze like he'd been caught in a spotlight. “Uh . . .”

“I'm glad you're using the key I gave you, but it would still be nice if you announced yourself when you came into my apartment. A hello from the doorway, maybe?” Dot turned back to her project. “And don't sneak up on people while they're knitting, you could mess them up.”

“Right,” Overkill said, a bit tentatively, the conversation clearly getting away from him. “I'm sorry?”

Dot smirked. “Apology accepted. Now sit down already.”

Overkill did, although his body stayed stiff as a board next to hers. Dot's mind immediately strayed to the time she had fallen asleep on him while they were sitting next to each other, almost the same way. He hadn't been so relaxed that time, either. It had been nice, though . . . but she wasn't thinking about _that_. She cleared her throat.

“So, to what to I - ” A muffled question interrupted her, and Dot turned to Overkill with a raised eyebrow. “Did you have an open channel with Dangerboat while you were sneaking up on me?”

“I wasn't _sneaking_ ,” Overkill insisted. “And, it's been a slow day. He was bored.” He paused, tilting his head slightly. “Okay, okay – we were both bored,” he admitted. “I just came over to -” 

The tilt returned, and Dot went back to knitting while trying not to look like she was attempting to overhear Dangerboat's message. After a moment, Overkill spoke again. “I'm not sure. Yeah, all right – D.B. wanted to ask something, Dot.”

“Ask away, Dangerboat,” Dot said.

With the flip of a switch, the AI's voice came through loud and clear.

“I was simply wondering what it was you were knitting?” he asked. “Overkill doesn't have visual sensors enabled and I'm dying of curiosity.”

“I'm knitting a sock. It's the second one of a set; it's striped and I just turned the heel,” Dot described. “I'm assuming Overkill got the gist of that, but if not, I'd love to hear what he thought this was supposed to be.”

With that, she lifted the sock up a bit and gave it a quick wiggle in Overkill's general direction.

“It's a _perfectly_ sock-shaped sock,” he said, hastily. “I just haven't seen one half done, before. I'm surprised to see that you knit.”

Dot pointedly knit a few more stitches. “Well I don't know why, because anyone can knit. I happen to enjoy knitting.”

“. . . Could you teach me?”

Dot stopped and glanced over at him. He wasn't looking back at her, and she had to wonder, was he embarrassed? Or just nervous that she'd say no?

“I know I don't have any limbs to speak of,” Dangerboat chimed in, “but I think I could enjoy a tutorial almost as much as someone who does.”

~

Old habits die hard. That's a cliche, but it's also true, and Arthur knew that it could apply to good habits as well as bad. Sometimes it felt like it applied to bad habits most of all, actually. But when you were lucky it was the good ones that doggedly stuck around, and even with all the sweeping changes his life had undergone since meeting the Tick, Arthur still liked to make time for those ones. Times like now, for instance, and he could do so comfortable in the knowledge that even if he'd left them by the wayside for a while, his fingers would still remember what to do.

They were dutifully getting back into the swing of things without more than the occasional fumble, which he was finder easier and easier to catch. It felt good to settle into a rhythm as his knitting began to take shape. The needles clicked a bit as he continued, and he was fully immersed in the project before long and hoping that The City's crime would stay quiet at least a little longer . . . 

Obviously he'd strap on his wings if the need arose, but if he could get just get this scarf well on its way first, that'd be great.

“Wow, what's that?” The Tick asked, and Arthur looked up in surprise to see the blue hero leaning over the back of the couch to peer over his shoulder. “It looks neat!”

“Tick, you're home! Is it already four?”

The Tick nodded. “It sure is, old chum. And what do you have there?

“Oh, uh, it's a scarf.”

“Well, I can see that, Arthur,” The Tick said, chuckling. “But what are those things all poking through it?”

“They're knitting needles; I'm making the scarf from scratch, see?” Arthur held up the needles so the Tick could more clearly see the incomplete end of the scarf. “You can use them to weave the yarn together into a scarf – or, you know, hats or mitts or socks.”

The Tick came around and plopped down on the couch next to Arthur, so close that Arthur couldn't help but slide down into the dip of the cushion. Although they were now pressed side to side, the Tick still leaned down to get a closer look at the scarf taking shape in Arthur's hands. Arthur tried very hard to focus on the conversation and not on how comfortable he felt in the Tick's personal space.

“How do you make the pattern go around and around like that?” The Tick asked, using a finger to trace along the scarf as he spoke.

“Um, like this,” Arthur said, and knit several stitches in a row, pointing out how he moved the needles different ways to create the cable pattern. The Tick was rapt throughout the demonstration, and once Arthur was done, he have him a hardy slap on that back.

“What craftsmanship!” said the Tick. “It must have taken you years to learn such a skill! Nay, only lifetime study could give you suck deft fingers!” 

That was enough to make Arthur blush. “It's not that big a deal . . .”

“Nonsense!” The Tick exclaimed, this time squeezing Arthur's shoulder. “To make something both beautiful _and_ functional? I could only hope to one day be so accomplished at an art like this.”

Arthur placed his scarf in his lap. “Really? You're pretty amazing at what you do already, Tick.”

“Seeking justice is important, and it's my true calling,” admitted the Tick, “but it doesn't create anything – except a safer life for the City's citizens, of course!”

“You know, if you like, I could . . . teach you. To knit, I mean.”

The Tick's already jubilant face lit up. “Why, Arthur! I would love that!”

“Yeah?” Arthur said, smiling. “I mean, it can take a long time to knit something. I don't want you to get bored . . .”

“Anything worth doing, is worth taking the time to do right!” proclaimed the Tick. “You'll see, Arthur; I won't let you down! Now, why don't you start by showing me how to finish this scarf? It looks so wonderful already.”

“Well, thanks, Tick. I hope Dot thinks so, too.”

~

The Tick and Arthur arrived at Dot's apartment just in time for their brunch date, and Arthur knocked before they let themselves in.

“Dot!” The Tick called out. “Were here! And we've made you a gift!”

Dot popped her head out from the kitchen to wave them in. She didn't seem surprised. “Oh yeah?” 

“Well, Arthur did,” said the Tick. “He's a very talented person, you know.”

Arthur smiled. “You helped a bit, Tick,” he said. They all sat down at the kitchen table and he handed over a lumpy package wrapped in plain paper. “Here you go, Dot.”

Dot took it, then grabbed a small, rumpled gift bag off the nearby counter and held it out. “And luckily the Tick can't keep a secret, so I was able to put the finishing touches on these before you came over. This is for you.”

“Tick, you already told her?” Arthur said, taking the bag. “When was this?”

“The scarf is just so beautiful!” explained the Tick, his eyes pleading. “I just wanted to tell someone how proud I was of your work, Arthur.”

Arthur's cheeks warmed. “I guess it's okay.”

He turned his attention to the gift bag, pulling out a pair of striped knitted socks, and let out a bark of laughter as the Tick gasped.

“Dot! You didn't say you knew how to knit, too!”

“Yep, sorry,” Dot said. “Actually, I have something for you, too. One sec.” She stepped out of the kitchen and returned a few moments later with another piece of knitting, although it seemed a bit amorphous to Arthur.

“Sorry it isn't wrapped,” she said, and handed it to the Tick.

The Tick looked the item over for a minute. “Oh!” he finally said. “It's a hat – and look, Arthur, there are holes for my antennae to fit through, how very thoughtful. Did you make this, too, Dot?”

“Actually, Tick, you're the first to get a one of a kind Overkill original.”

“Wait, seriously?” Arthur asked. 

“Well, why not?” said the Tick. He was now wearing the hat. “Anyone can knit!”

**Author's Note:**

> For visual reference, I was thinking of [this scarf pattern](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/irish-hiking-scarf) and [this sock pattern](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-best-self-striping-ribbed-socks-in-the-world) (probably in different colours?) when writing. However, I'm not a knitter. I hope I didn't make that too obvious in the story :-P


End file.
